London Ontario. Assault Suspect Returns to Court on December 15 for a Pretrial Trial | The Canadian News

After a brief appearance on Wednesday, the defendant in the June targeted car attack in London, Ontario, will now return to court on December 15 for a pretrial trial.

The fatal attack on a local Muslim family marked the deadliest mass murder in London history.

Five Afzaal-Salman members were taking a nighttime walk in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood when they were hit by a pickup truck.

Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna and their 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack. The couple’s nine-year-old son, Fayez, was seriously injured but survived.

Local police have called the attack a hate crime and say the family was targeted because of their religion.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, faces four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Crown prosecutors allege that each crime constituted an act of terrorism.

On Wednesday, Veltman made a virtual court appearance from the confines of the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Center, a prison in the far south of London.

While his previous court appearances had resulted in postponements to allow his attorney, Christopher Hicks, to receive and review the disclosure on the case, Wednesday’s appearance saw an eloquent student appear on Hicks’s behalf asking to schedule a trial. prior judicial.

“I can warn that a pre-Crown trial was held (Tuesday) morning and the matter requires a pre-trial trial, so I am going to suggest that the matter come back in mid-December for the purpose of scheduling and maintain the judicial process before the trial, ”said the student.

Tanit Gilliam, a federal Crown attorney, said a “relatively quick” pre-trial could be set, but added that Hicks is involved in a separate murder trial that does not conclude until Dec. 3.

The court ruled that Veltman return to court on December 15 for a video pretrial.

Meanwhile, he is being held at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Center.

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